A Message from Dr. Vu

My staff and I have the commitment to ensure that you receive the quality of care and services from the time you call in for your plastic surgery consultation to the time you go in for plastic surgery and we continue to follow you closely through your plastic surgery postoperative care. We are prepared to provide you with wealth of information, depending on your concerns, whether it is for breast augmentation, tummy tuck, liposuction, body lifts, facelift, eyelid surgery, fillers or botox injections.

Dr. Kim-Chi Vu, Plastic Surgeon

Plastic Surgery, Portland, OR

Message from Dr. Vu

My staff and I have the commitment to ensure that you receive the highest quality of care and services from the time you call in for your plastic surgery consultation to the time you go in for plastic surgery. We will continue to follow you closely through your plastic surgery postoperative care. We are prepared to provide you with wealth of information, depending on your concerns, whether it is for breast augmentation, tummy tuck, liposuction, body lifts, facelift, eyelid surgery, fillers or botox injections.
The respect I have for you as a person has allowed me to continue with my on going training so that I may transfer that knowledge to my plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery, reconstructive surgery and hand surgery practice. My expertise in trauma and reconstruction carries over naturally to aesthetic procedures because of the attention to the delicate details of every structure, in order to achieve the best and most beautiful results.

I am deeply honored and humbled to have the opportunity to educate and provide you with the information you need to help you make your decision about your plastic surgery.

Kim Chi Vu, MD

About DR VU One of only a handful of female plastic surgeons in Portland, Dr. Kim-Chi Vu attended the University of Portland as an undergraduate and graduated from medical school at the Oregon Health Sciences University, where she also completed her surgical residency.

Dr. Vu, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, specializes in not only cosmetic and reconstructions, but also in hand trauma surgeries. During her residency, Dr. Vu was involved in several research projects, including the heparin effect on thrombocytopenia, bioresorbable rib stabilization in rib fractures, and a clinical study on composite grafting for correction of bilateral cleft nasal deformity.

Originally from Vietnam, Dr. Vu and her family immigrated to the United States when she was about six years old. They originally resided in Tennessee and moved to Portland, in 1978, where she has remained. Dr. Vu is married to Andrew Nguyen, an engineer, and they have a son and a daughter. Her hobbies include running, tennis, volleyball, and spending as much time as possible with her family.

Dr. Vu’s exceptional knowledge of her field comes not only from her plastic surgical experiences but also from continuing education by attending local as well as national meetings in the field of plastic surgery year around. In addition, she has a background in hand trauma, which is a valuable complement to her usual work. While very different in some respects from carefully choreographed cosmetic procedures, emergency surgeries she performs on hand trauma patients keep her surgical skills at the highest level. “My work in cosmetics and trauma complement one another,” Dr. Vu acknowledges. “Trauma keeps me attuned to the minute level of detail that will restore function to an injured hand, while cosmetic work requires an aesthetic, almost artistic, appreciation of how the body works.”

Dr. Vu offers a full range of plastic surgical procedures which may include but is not limited to breast augmentation, body contour surgeries like tummy tucks, liposuction, or body lifts, as well as facial rejuvenation including face lift, brow lift, rhinoplasty, and eyelid surgery. Dr. Vu is also interested in pursuing areas of post-bariatric surgery and surgeries for men. Dr. Vu feel that these two areas have not been given much attention, whether due to being a sensitive topic or because these areas have not been given much media attention. “I feel that everyone has his or her own reason to wish or desire to look good, feel better and have confidence about themselves.”
“It is very gratifying for me to have the opportunity to show my techniques to my patients and feel very honored and privileged that my patients have the trust in me to help them look and feel more beautiful.”

Using these plastic surgery techniques and her years of experience as a plastic surgeon, Dr. Kim-Chi Vu has literally transformed the lives of her patients. Whatever cosmetic changes you’re pondering, Dr. Vu and her staff are dedicated and ready to help you in your decision making. Dr. Vu can help you explore how to make your appearance everything you want it to be. Call today to schedule your consultation.

CREDENTIALS: MAKING SENSE OF CERTIFICATION Almost everyone has heard that they should look for “board certification” when seeking a qualified plastic surgeon (or any physician for that matter). Most people don’t really understand exactly what this means and what is involved in becoming “board certified.”

Just because a doctor is “board certified” does not mean they are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Most states can perform cosmetic procedures without being certified in plastics surgery. This means other doctors such as dermatologists, gynecologists and other doctors are performing plastic surgery without having undergone proper training and certifications.

Thus, when choosing a plastic surgeon, it is important to know whether or not the surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. The ABPS is the only board that certifies physicians in plastic surgery of the face and all areas of the body.

Dr. Kim-Chi Vu is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. In order for her to be board certified by the ABPS, she had to graduate from an accredited medical school, did her internship and residency in general surgery for five years, then completed two years of approved residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery, practiced for a minimum of two years after graduation, then passed an extensive written and oral board examinations which include a review of all the cases she performed in the past year by the members of ABPS.

Dr Vu is also a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, where Dr Vu is required to attend continuing medical education courses and meetings regularly and to adhere to strict code of ethics in her practice as a plastic surgeon.

Even fewer people know about certification of operating facilities, who certifies them and what protection such certification offers. We believe patients need this information to make informed choices in their search for the right surgeon, surgery facility and anesthesia provider.

At our office, we have gone to great effort and expense to ensure the highest standard of safety for our patients. As you consider plastic surgery, we hope the following information will help you to evaluate the choices available to you.

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is the agency which oversees subspecialty boards. More than 100 “boards” have been submitted to the ABMS for formal approval, but only 24 have met their strict educational and examination criteria. They are as follows:

The American Board of Plastic Surgery is the only ABMS board that has traditionally overseen the training and certification of cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons.

You may call the ABMS at 1-866-275-2267 or visit their website at www.plasticsurgery.org to see if your surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Give them the name of your surgeon and they will tell you if and when he or she was certified. Certification by other boards does not give you the same protection. Other boards have less strict criteria for certification and some require only a fee. A few of the boards which have not been approved by the ABMS are as follows: